DEVELOPMENT AND SUBJECTIVITY: BETWEEN AUTHORITARIANISM AND DEMOCRACY

Abstract

Development, a discipline taught in many universities and a central issue in the international political debate, is an ambiguous concept, often used in a hazy and opportunistic way. This confusion does not help those who would like to take a stand in the debate between authoritarian and democratic approaches, the former generating exclusion, poverty, violent conflicts and environmental degradation; the latter driven towards participatory, peaceful and sustainable development. Those who are inclined towards the latter are interested in building a thorough knowledge of development and in demonstrating that the democratic approach can help resolve problems created by the authoritarian approach. But is it possible to build a serious discipline of development? What would be its relationship with other disciplines that talk about development without defining it? This article aims at taking stock of the situation and suggests new paths for research that could help improve knowledge and the practices of the actors involved.

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